The remaining time before the start of term passed rather quickly, just as the rest of the summer had: eating, sleeping, reading, and talking with each other. Nothing much more went on during that last week of summer vacation. After they had returned to Hogwarts, they did not travel; after visiting three different houses over the summer, neither of them was feeling much up to it.
Occasionally, at night, Hermione would awake with excruciating cramps in her legs, and she would cry out in the darkness. Of course, Severus awoke as well, quite startled.
"What? What is it?" he mumbled, sounding as if he was merely talking in his sleep during a dream.
"My leg! I've got a cramp!" she whimpered.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked, not opening his eyes as he turned his body slightly to face her.
"I don't know," Hermione said through gritted teeth, and Severus, being the utter man that he was, Hermione thought, rolled back over and resumed his restful state. Then, after the pain had passed, she too returned to sleep.
Finally, it came time for classes to commence once more, and the students' boisterous voices and laughs filled the hallways. Hermione's stomach had grown considerably, so that it was now noticeable by all who saw her. She was also becoming quite anxious in the last weeks leading up to the birth. Gods, it seemed as though this had all happened so quickly. It felt like only yesterday that Hermione had invited Severus to her chambers, with the intention of informing him of her pregnancy. She could not believe that she had been with Severus for nearly a year already.
However, as she was sitting at her desk one day in class, a thought suddenly occurred to her: We have nothing. It was true; it had been roughly nine months ago that she had discovered she was pregnant. It was almost nine months ago that she had informed Severus of it. In that time, neither of them had put forth an effort to acquire any of the things that were crucial in caring for a baby.
Of course, she hadn't expected Severus to rush out and purchase any of those items. Mostly, she was angry with herself for not doing just that. At the risk of appearing sexist, she knew that, as the mother, it should have occurred to her to shop for the baby's things. But it hadn't, and that fact bothered her a bit. She decided that she would tell Severus soon, and she followed through.
"Severus, we don't have anything!" she announced later that day, as she was entering their chambers after her classes were entirely over with.
He looked up from the paper he was grading at the desk and, very slowly, set down his quill. "What?"
"We don't have anything," she repeated, saying each word as if it was a separate sentence. "I mean, we don't have a bed for our daughter, or toys, or diapers, or bottles… We don't even have a room! She is due in less than one month, and we haven't even got a name, Severus."
"Calm yourself, Hermione. This weekend, we can travel to Diagon Alley and purchase the necessary items."
"What about her name?"
He sighed. "What do you think we should name her?"
"I am not quite certain."
"Then we will choose a name later, because at this moment, I believe that is the least of our worries concerning our daughter."
She nodded, feeling dazed. "All right. This weekend, we will go to Diagon Alley. That sounds…"
"Sickening," Severus muttered as they later browsed through the shop for "baby things". He was constantly glancing over his shoulder, making certain that nobody he was acquainted with was passing by the window or had just entered the shop. Of course, he knew of no one who was expecting a child. Besides the Boy Who Lived, of course, but Potter's opinion certainly did not matter to him, nor would it ever.
At the moment, Severus was surrounded by bottles with nipples made for tiny mouths, pillows for tiny heads, and beds for tiny bodies. Everything was so damn small. And the only colors that he saw as he gazed around him were pink and blue. There were barely any others.
"Stop it, Severus," Hermione scolded, fingering a pink, lacey blanket.
He walked over to a shelf and picked up a tiny baby shoe. It was white. All right, so there were some other colors, but not many. Where was the black?
Then Hermione set a different, though still pink, blanket into their basket. They walked around a bit longer, as Hermione admired adorable baby things, and Severus attempted in vain to hurry her along.
"Severus, would you quit it! It is Saturday afternoon. We could return to Hogwarts at midnight, and it would be of no consequence."
"No shops would ever be open that late, Hermione, as you are well aware. Besides, what would we possibly be doing for the next twelve hours?"
"Thinking of a name, perhaps? We really should find one soon, you know."
"What is the huge deal about a child's name?"
Hermione turned to look at him. "Our daughter will have this name for the rest of her life. It is up to us to make certain that she is not forced to endure a horrific name like-"
"Severus."
"I happen to like your name," Hermione said as he followed her towards the cribs.
After they had finished and paid for their items, they walked to the very front of the store.
"We should shrink everything, of course," Hermione said, drawing her wand.
"From what I can see, it already is shrunken," Severus replied sarcastically.
Rolling her eyes, Hermione muttered the spell and then shoved everything into Severus' pockets. Hermione's first thought was to Apparate outside the Hogwarts gates and then walk the rest of the way. However, it then occurred to her that she was nine months pregnant and did not wish to travel such a distance on foot, and so she and Severus decided to use the shop's fireplace to Floo to their chambers instead. After they had done so, Hermione stepped out of the fireplace and instantly walked across the living room and down the hallway. Severus quickly followed her, and he came to find her standing there, staring at one of the empty walls.
"What is it?" he asked.
"We need to add a room here, near our bedroom, for her to sleep in."
He nodded and drew his wand. "How large should it be?" he asked.
"It will need to remain her bedroom until she is ten-years-old, I suppose. When she is eleven, she will attend school here at Hogwarts and sleep in the dormitory."
Ten-years-old, Severus thought. Hermione is planning to remain here for ten years. He felt something just then, as if he could whoop with joy. Of course, he didn't.
He simply said, "Right." Muttering a couple of spells under his breath, Severus waved his wand. In under a minute, another room had appeared directly across the hall to their bedroom. After he was finished, he turned to Hermione.
Smiling, she nodded and stepped inside. The walls were- yes, of course- green.
"Nice try," she muttered, and with a flick of her own wand, they had been transformed to a pale pink, with magenta hearts around the perimeter of the room. Behind her, Severus cringed.
"Please tell me that you are joking."
"Of course not. It's adorable."
"It's something," he muttered. "Are you telling me that I will be forced to view this every time I want to enter my daughter's room?"
"If it had been a boy, then you would have gotten to choose the design of his room."
Severus raised an eyebrow. "You're not serious."
"Of course I'm not!" Hermione exclaimed, laughing. "Knowing you, the main colors would be black and green. Do we want our daughter to be raised in such a dark and dreary environment?"
"What would be the harm in it?"
"Well, she…"
Again, Severus raised an eyebrow, daring her to go on. Go ahead and say it, he thought bitterly. "Well, she might end up like you." That is what you were going to say before, was it not?
"Go on," he said quietly.
She shook her head. "Never mind, Severus. Look, the room is remaining the way it is. Would you please bring the bags to normal size?"
He nodded, removing the items from his pocket, setting them on the floor, and bringing them back to their original size. Then he levitated everything- several bags, a crib, and a changing table- out in front of him, moving them into the baby's room. "Where would you like the bed to go?" he asked once he had reached her.
She bit her bottom lip and glanced around.
"How about in the corner?" he suggested.
"There," she said, pointing to a spot near the center of the room.
"Hermione-"
"There," she repeated, more firmly his time.
Severus lowered the baby's white bed down where she had directed him to, and then, while Hermione went to work putting on the bedding, he levitated the changing table.
"Where should this be placed?" he asked.
Hermione turned, looking around. "That," she said, "can go in the corner. Right over there." Then she returned to the baby's bed.
Severus placed the changing table where he had been told, and then he began pulling things out of the bags. He had no idea where any of this was going to go, and so he constantly had to ask Hermione questions about where to place various items.
Her favorite response: "On the shelf." The shelf, where there was clearly no more room for even the smallest of objects. When Severus pointed this out, she sighed as if he was causing her some great hardship to glance around and point at a new space for the object to belong to.
When they were finished, they both stepped back to admire their work. Except that Severus wasn't looking at the room; he was watching Hermione. Her face was lit up, and she was beaming as she gazed around the room. She had installed a window, bewitching it so that no matter what the weather was outside, the sun would always shine into the room during the day, and the nights would always be clear, with stars twinkling in the dark sky. As Severus watched her, he knew that she was going be a magnificent mother. Of course, he had always known this, but watching her now proved it.
"What?" she asked, noticing his eyes upon her. "Severus, please don't stare at me."
"Why not?"
"What if I stood here and gawked at you all day?"
"I would have no idea why you would ever do such a thing."
"Exactly."
"You should see your face, Hermione."
She furrowed her brow. "Why?"
"You cannot wait until this child arrives, can you?"
Smiling, she shook her head. "I cannot express to you how anxious I am. It's a bit frightening, really, when I think about it. I mean, when our daughter arrives, it will be only our responsibility to care for her, and to teach her right from wrong. What if we make a mistake?"
"It is terrifying," Severus said, leaning against the doorframe.
Noting his position, Hermione chuckled. "You really cannot wait to flee from this room, can you?"
Smirking, he answered, "Of course not. Come. You should be resting."
"But look at how adorable it all is, Severus."
"I agree," he said at once, walking forward to take her hand and lead her to the bedroom. "Here; lie down. It is clear that you are completely exhausted."
She shook her head, obviously trying to stifle a wide yawn. She failed. "No, I have essays to grade-"
"I will do it for you," he answered instantly.
Closing her eyes and leaning back against the pillows, she nodded. "Thank you."
"Of course." As she was already lying on the quilts on their bed, he conjured a blanket and draped it over her. Then, he left for the living room, where he sat down at the desk and pulled a stack of essays toward him. Just by glancing at the sheer number of papers mounted before him, he knew that it was going to be a very long night. However, it would only be one more month. In fact, not even that long. Two weeks. Only two more weeks.
It was incredibly difficult for him to believe that after nine months- nearly an entire year- there were only two more weeks remaining. Just two more weeks left to endure.
And then I'll have a baby screaming in the background, he thought, although, even as he did, he shook his head and he smiled, picking up a quill and holding it, poised in the air.
Hours later, Severus was still sitting in the same position, reading over a particularly dull essay. So exhausted was he that by now, he was not even bothering to write nasty comments in the margins. He simply recorded a grade at the top and went on to the next paper. It had been silent since Hermione had gone to bed hours ago. This reminded him of all those times before Hermione had come that he had sat alone in his chambers, drinking and reading or drinking and grading or drinking and…well, drinking. Shaking his head, he sighed. He wasn't like that anymore.
Abruptly, Severus heard a whoosh as the orange flames in the fireplace shot up, flickered, and then turned to emerald. He sneered and returned to the paper that he was grading as a face appeared in them.
Potter.
Harry spoke, "Sir? Professor? Snape!"
Severus did not look up as he replied lazily from his desk, "What can you possibly need, Potter? If it is not a dire matter, I suggest you leave now and do not disturb us further."
"Speaking of 'us', where is Hermione?"
"She is asleep, Potter. Do you have any idea what time it is?" He glanced up at the clock. It was one a.m. Just a bit after. "You had better have an excellent reason for your bothersome call so late."
"Technically, it's early, depending on how you look at it. And it is a weekend, Saturday." Harry shook his head, getting himself back on track. "Look, can you please bring Hermione here?"
Severus met his eyes from across the room. "Potter, perhaps you misunderstood me. Allow me to try again: She is nine months pregnant, and she is sleeping. I am not going to wake her up for-"
"Ginny is in labor. She's having the baby."
Severus paused, unsure what to say at this point, until Harry went on, "If this was your kid, and I was you, I wouldn't put you through this, Snape, no matter how much hatred there is between us. Get Hermione in here, if only for a moment. Please."
After a second of consideration, Severus set his quill down and stood up, making his way into the bedroom.
"Hermione," he whispered when he entered. When she did not stir, he took several steps closer and repeated her name. No answer. So he tried again, placing his hand on her shoulder and shaking her gently, "Hermione, wake up."
This time, she moaned, rolling over and drawing the quilts up to her chin. "Severus, I don't want to."
Rolling his eyes, he reached out and yanked the blankets off of her body.
"Gods, Severus," she slurred sleepily, "what is it?"
"Miss Weasley is in labor."
Now, Hermione shot up, her eyes wide. "What did you say?"
"Ginny Weasley is having her baby."
"Right now!"
"Yes."
She paused, and then she asked him, "How can you know that?"
"Mr. Potter's head is in our fireplace."
By now, Hermione had stood up and was making her way into the living room. The moment Harry caught sight of her, he cried quickly, "Hermione, Ginny is having the baby now. Do you want to be here?"
"Of course," she answered at once.
"Then Floo to the Burrow. The midwife is here, and I have to get back to Ginny." He hesitated before he said, in a manner that suggested he was still in the process of making his final decision, "Snape can come, if he wants, but if he makes one snarky comment, I swear to you, I will transform him into something so-"
"Enough, Potter," Severus declared as he walked into the room.
Sneering, Harry nodded once, and then he vanished.
As Hermione walked past Severus, returning to the bedroom, he asked, "You are not honestly going to go, are you?"
"Why not?" she asked distractedly, her eyes darting around the room as if she was searching for something.
Severus held out his hand, and she smiled and took her wand from him. She went on, "You are well aware that you are not required to come. I will not force you."
He followed her into the bedroom, where she began to change her clothes. He sat down on the bed and watched her.
"Could you hand me my socks over there, please?" Hermione asked.
"I will join you if you would like for me to."
"It isn't necessary, not if you don't want to. Truthfully, I don't mind if you remain here instead. However," she said, stopping and turning to him, "may I ask you a question?"
"I suppose," he nodded.
"If it were me in labor, would you be a bit perturbed if Harry and Ron did not come, and then Ginny, of course, with Harry? Wouldn't you simply expect them to be here?"
He stared at her, and Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't answer that," she said. "Still, I would like if you would come with me, Severus. Really, they are my friends. And you know that if you wanted to visit, say, Draco Malfoy and his family, I would go along with you."
He raised an eyebrow. "Would you really?"
"Of course. I mean, I would not be entirely happy about it, but I would accompany you, if you wished for me to."
He sighed, hating that she was able to guilt him into such things. "Very well. I will go."
"I swear to you, we will leave as soon as we can, the moment the baby is born. Well, not quite, but…" She sat down beside him on the bed. "Will you help me put on my socks and shoes, please? I can't bend down that far."
He nodded and kneeled before her, slipping her socks and shoes over her feet. Bowing his head and pretending to be concentrating on her foot, with his curtains of black hair concealing his face from her view, his mouth opened in a wide yawn. Then he straightened back up, running a hand over his face and then helping her up off of the bed. She followed him into the living room, where he extinguished the few candles that were burning there, and then they both entered the fireplace. Severus took her hand and called out, "The Burrow!"
They landed in the fireplace in the Weasley's living room, where they saw Ron sitting on the couch, his elbows digging into his knees.
"'Mione," he said, smiling when he caught sight of her.
"Hello, Ron. Where is she?"
He motioned to the doorway that led into the dining room. Of course, the large table had been cleared to somewhere else in the house.
"They've used a Silencing Charm," Ron said, "so don't expect to be able to hear anything."
"Why aren't you in there with her?"
His eyes widened and he looked absolutely horrified. "And risk seeing…you know? With my sister? I would never sleep again, Hermione."
She laughed softly. "I understand. Is she… I mean, is the baby coming right now?"
"No, not yet. I mean, she hasn't… Her…you know… She's not ready."
Hermione smiled as she saw a woman that she did not recognize enter the room. The woman froze, however, when she saw Hermione's stomach. Grinning, she said, "Not another one, I hope?"
"Not today," Hermione replied.
Extending her hand, the woman said, "I'm Beatrice Niggle. You may call me Bee. And you are?"
"Hermione Granger."
"Ah. Let's see… I know Ron here, of course. And…?" Bee peered around Hermione to where Severus was hovering in the background with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl plastered on his face. She squinted, as if he was far away, and then her eyes widened and she grinned. "Severus Snape." Then she furrowed her brow. "Not to seem rude, by why in the world are you here? I wasn't aware that you and the Weasleys were terribly close."
"We are not," he answered.
"Then… Did you just arrive?"
"You did not see me here before, did you?"
"Why, no. Then, why exactly are here, Snape? Bring a potion to numb her?"
Sneering at the woman, Severus replied, "Not quite. I arrived with Hermione."
"Miss Granger? Or is it Mrs. Snape, then?" Bee asked, raising an eyebrow at Severus.
"The former," Hermione said.
Bee looked to Hermione's bulging stomach. "And that… Is that yours, Professor Snape?"
Severus narrowed his eyes, realization dawning. "Professor Snape? You were one of my students."
The woman nodded. "Ah, so you do remember. I feared that with your age…but no matter. Still teaching, I suppose? Of course. And your students still wish you dead? I thought so. I graduated about five years ago. Anyway, it was something like that. Actually, I think I remember you," she said, turning to Hermione. "Hermione Granger… Hermione Granger… That name sounds quite familiar. Oh! You were a Gryffindor, weren't you?"
"Yes."
Bee turned to Severus. "Snape, you knocked up a Gryffindor? Good Lord!" She looked back at Hermione. "At any rate, I was a Gryffindor myself. Yes, I remember you. You were in first year, while I was in fifth. Quite smart, weren't you?"
Hermione smiled politely. "I suppose you could say that."
Both Ron and Severus snorted, but when the women turned to them, their faces were entirely neutral.
"Bee!" a voice called from the dining room. A deep voice. It was Harry.
Bee began to turn away, but Hermione called her back.
"Yes?"
"May I go in there, as well?"
Bee paused, and then replied, "Very well. Come along, then."
Hermione nodded and followed her into the dining room. Ginny was lying on a bed that was up against a wall, covered with a blanket. Her hair was mussed terribly, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Harry was sitting just beside her. When they saw Hermione standing in the doorway, both of them smiled warmly.
"Hello, 'Mione," Ginny said.
"Hello, Ginny. Er, doing well?"
"Oh, yes. Certainly."
Then her face scrunched up and she grabbed Harry's hand. A contraction. Hermione winced as Ginny moaned in pain.
"This baby had better be absolutely adorable, and never ever cry, for this much pain," Ginny said when it was over. Hermione smiled, taking several steps forward.
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, grinning at the woman across the bed from her.
"Why, hello, Hermione! I'm so very glad that you came!" Molly replied happily. "Won't be long for you now, either, will it?" Beaming, she then turned back to her daughter.
It was not long after when Ginny had another contraction. And another. And then, Bee announced that it was time to "check" her once more. Hermione went to stand beside Harry, while Bee went to Ginny's feet. When Bee looked up at them, she announced, "It's time for the delivery. The baby is coming now. Hermione, I apologize, but I'm going to need you to leave. Harry in here only, please. And Molly. Everyone else, out." However, there was only Hermione that was forced to leave, so she backed out of the room swiftly and went into the living room, where there was silence.
"Well, aren't you two a lively bunch," Hermione commented, standing behind Severus' chair. That was when she noticed Arthur on the opposite end of the couch from Ron, with his head resting against the back cushions and snoring.
Ron, Severus, and Hermione's heads turned, then, as two figures appeared in the fireplace, covered in soot and coughing.
"Took a wrong turn," said one of them, stepping out and trying to brush himself off, while simultaneously checking his clothing for his wand.
"Yeah. We had a grand time trying to explain this to the Ministry," said the other.
The arms were filled with fire crackers and all sorts of accessories one might find at a lively party or celebration.
Ah, yes. Fred and George.
"Why, 'Mione! How are you? Haven't seen you since…well, months ago. Gods, you've gotten big."
She smiled. "Thank you, Fred."
"It's George."
"Sorry."
"That's all right. That lot at the Ministry couldn't get it right either. Here, have a cracker."
Hermione took it from him, setting it on the table before her.
"Good morning, Snape," George greeted him.
"You two appear to be in dreadfully high spirits," Severus replied, scowling more than ever now.
"Well, our sister's having our nephew. Why shouldn't we be excited? Right, Ronny?" Fred asked, sitting down beside his younger brother and throwing his arm around Ron's shoulders.
"Sure," Ron replied sleepily, covering his mouth as he yawned.
"So, the midwife's here, I suppose? What's her name? Maybe we know her," George said.
"Beatrice Niggle."
The twins froze, and then turned back to Hermione slowly.
"Niggle? Did you say Niggle?" George asked.
"Yes," said Hermione slowly. "Why?"
"No reason," Fred said quickly.
"What's with you two?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"Well, we know her…"
"From?"
"Hogwarts."
"She was in seventh year, and you were in fifth. Do not tell me that you both-"
"Fred and George Weasley," came a voice from the doorway. "How are you?"
Everyone (besides Arthur, of course, who had managed to remain asleep through all the noise) turned to face the sound.
"Beatrice Niggle," George said quietly. Fred gulped.
She smiled sweetly, approaching them. "How are you both? I heard you fled Hogwarts and started your very own business. Marvelous. I always knew you two would make it big. Even in fifth year, you both had big promise."
This time, Severus snorted from his place on the couch.
He was ignored, however, as George replied, "Yeah, we're doing great. And you? I guess you're the midwife?"
"Yes, I am. Speaking of which, I need to be getting back to your sister. It's lovely to see you both." She smiled her charming smile again and left them for the dining room.
Fred and George gathered their fire crackers into a pile on the table and sat down, one in a chair, and the other between Ron and Arthur on the sofa. "Hello, baby brother," said George, putting his arm around Ron, who glared at him. George retracted his arm and leaned back.
Fred muttered, "Well, aren't we cheery this fine morning in September? Which reminds me: Hermione, you must be due just about any time, now, right? I mean, really, you and Ginny can't be more than two or three weeks apart."
She nodded. "That's correct."
"You're having a girl, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Will she look like him?" he asked, pointing a finger in Snape's direction.
Hermione glanced uneasily at Severus, who was rubbing his temples as if he had a severe migraine. "Why do you ask, Fred?"
He raised his hands, palms facing her. "No reason. I was only curious. I mean, she's got to look at least half like him, right? She's got his genes in her."
"That is true."
George chimed in, "Fred, leave her alone. You can practically see her pregnancy hormones raging! She could very well bite your head off."
Pinching the bridge of his nose now, Severus muttered, "Shut up, both of you. Leave her alone."
"Well, well, well. Snape to the rescue," Fred uttered indignantly.
Ron looked up. "He's right, guys. You are getting on our nerves. Plus, you're going to wake Dad up."
"Well, he shouldn't be sleeping at this time of day," said Fred.
"It's two in the morning!" Ron cried.
"Now, look at that, Ronald; you've woken him up," Fred said in a reprimanding tone.
"Yeah, nice going," George added.
Ron rolled his eyes as his father stirred beside him. Arthur's eyelids flapped open and he rubbed them groggily, yawning. "Hello, there," he mumbled, stretching. "Where is my daughter?"
"She just went into labor, Dad," said Ron.
"What!" Arthur cried, alarmed. "And nobody woke me?"
"You can't go in there, Dad! I mean, she- She's- What if you...you know...see something?" George exclaimed.
"She is my daughter. For heaven's sake! I changed her diapers when she was a baby."
"Yeah, well, I'm not sure if you've noticed, Dad, but she's changed a lot since then. Just ask Harry."
Arthur shook his head and looked around the room, as if seeing it for the first time. His eyes landed on Hermione and Severus.
"Oh, hello, you two. I wasn't sure if we would see you here, Severus."
Severus muttered lazily in reply, "Oh, I wouldn't miss this for the world."
Arthur smiled, ignoring the subtle sarcasm in his voice. "Yes, well, I'm glad to see you here. Hello, there, Hermione. Shouldn't you be resting, as well? If I'm correct, you and Ginny are only but a few weeks apart."
George chimed in, "Yeah, Snape couldn't wait to get on top of her the moment Ron and Harry left."
Arthur stood, glaring at the twins, and beckoning for them to follow him into the kitchen. "A word, now," he ordered in a warning tone. They both stood, glancing at each other, and followed.
Hermione went to sit on Severus' lap, placing her arms around his neck. "I will not force you to stay, Severus. You look quite tired."
"I am fine," he murmured, though, if he had not been speaking, he would have appeared to be asleep.
She smiled. "Forgive me, Severus, but you look absolutely exhausted. Perhaps you should leave, sleep, and return in several hours."
"How long does it take for a woman to give birth?"
"Hours, days..."
"Days? Are you seriously intending to remain here for days?"
"If I need to, I will leave, eat and sleep in our chambers, and then return later."
"You must really love these people."
She smiled. "Sort of." Then she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.
"Oh, come on!" Ron cried. "I don't want to see that."
"Why are you watching, then?" Hermione asked, glancing over her shoulder.
"I can't just not watch; it's like a train wreck, Hermione. Look, why can't you just get off of him?"
"Because I love him."
"So express your love while I'm not here."
"Why should you care?"
"Because it's you, and it's Snape, and you're...together."
"Ron, I am carrying his child."
"Who cares?"
"I happen to care quite a bit, thank you."
Ron turned to Severus. "I thought you weren't into public displays of affection."
"Not when I initiate it."
"But you never initiate it."
"All the better, then."
Ron rolled his eyes, muttering something to himself as he stood and stretched. "How much longer are they going to be in there?"
"Hours, days..." Severus drawled.
Ron glared, and then closed his eyes. "There's a Silencing Charm around the dining room, right?"
"Yes, there is."
"Good."
Harry appeared just then, entering the living room.
"What's going on, mate?" Ron asked as Harry sat down beside him.
Harry didn't speak. He just stared straight ahead. After a while, he spoke slowly, "If I am this exhausted, I cannot imagine how tired Ginny must feel." Then he spotted Severus and Hermione. She was still on his lap. However, at the moment, Harry didn't seem to mind.
"You came," he said simply.
"Of course we came, Harry. There is no way that I would ever miss this- the birth of your first-born son."
Harry grinned. "We've been waiting nine months for this. I just can't believe that it's finally here. How can nine months have passed so quickly?"
"I know what you mean," Hermione sighed. "It seems like just yesterday that Severus and I-"
"Please, Hermione," Ron said quickly, holding up a hand. "We don't need to hear the details."
Hermione smiled, leaning forward and kissing Severus on his jawbone, as he had his eyes closed and his head was leaning back against the cushions of the chair. His grip around her waist tightened slightly, however, so she knew that he was not asleep.
Just then, Fred, George, and Arthur reentered the room. Arthur took a seat on the couch, while the boys headed upstairs, after sending a grin to everyone.
"What did you say to them, Dad?" Ron asked.
"Nothing that you need to know about. And Harry, shouldn't you be with Ginny?"
He didn't answer, as he was leaning back and had closed his eyes. He looked completely relaxed.
"Harry?" Ron asked, waving a hand in front of Harry's face. "I think he's-"
"Potter!" Severus barked, not even lifting his head or opening his eyes, startling Hermione and causing her to jump in alarm.
Harry jerked to life, opening his eyes. "Sorry, sir, I was-" Then he noticed his surroundings. "Hey!" he cried, glaring at his former professor.
Severus replied lazily, still not opening his eyes, "Should you not be with Miss Weasley, as she is giving birth to your child at the moment?"
Harry didn't answer, knowing that Snape was right, and he stood and went into the dining room, grumbling to himself.
Four hours later, Harry still had not emerged from the dining room. By now, Hermione had abandoned her place on Severus' lap, and was now sitting next to Ron, her head resting on his shoulder. Severus was in the same position as he had been four ago, as was Arthur. All four of them were asleep. Fred and George had not been seen since they had retreated to their room after the conversation in the kitchen with their father.
However, the four adults in the living room were jerked awake when a shout from the dining room reached them, "Holy shit! He's here!" Evidently, the Silencing Charm had been removed. Either that or it had worn off after this long.
Then, still from the dining room, "Harry Potter! Great, now we know what our son's first words are going to be, thanks to you."
"Sorry."
The four adults in the living room all stood, and Arthur called up the stairs, over a baby's cries, "Fred, George, down here, now!" The twins came bounding down the stairs, shoving past everyone else to get into the dining room first.
There, lying on the bed, was Ginny Weasley, her hair a mess and her face glistening with sweat, grinning down at her newborn son, coddled in a blue blanket in her arms. Harry stood beside her, looking as if he might pass out at any moment. Arthur ventured forward first, followed by Ron, and then Severus and Hermione.
"Our first grandchild, Arthur," Molly said, wiping a tear from her cheek.
"Don't cry, Mum," Ginny said.
"What's his name?" asked Ron.
Ginny glanced up. "Well, we hadn't really-"
"James," Harry answered instantly.
Smiling up at him, Ginny said quietly, "Yes. James. That sounds nice. And for a middle name?"
"You decide," he replied, putting his arm gently around her as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He kissed the top of her head as he watched his son settle down and close his eyes.
Nobody spoke for a bit, while Ginny considered a middle name for the child.
"How about George?"
"Or Fred?" the twins cried out.
Ginny laughed softly. "No," she said. "Arthur." She smiled up at her father, who grinned back at her.
"Thank you, Ginny," he said.
"You're welcome," she whispered.
Bee, who had been standing in the corner, walked forward, holding a piece of paper. It was the baby's birth certificate. She looked from Ginny to Harry. Then she set the paper down on a small table in the opposite corner, and, her quill poised above it, asked, "James Arthur Weasley?"
Ginny looked up. "James Arthur Potter," she said.
Bee paused, looking to Harry, who gazed down at Ginny.
"Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded, so Bee spent a minute or two copying out the birth certificate.
"How are you feeling?" Harry asked Ginny, stroking her hair.
She smiled. "Wonderful," she sighed. Harry grinned at her, and leaned down to kiss her on top of her head once more.
"I love you," he whispered. Ginny kept smiling. Molly was now bawling into her husband's shoulder.
Severus leaned over to Hermione, putting his lips to her ear and speaking as quietly as possible, so that no one else could hear him, "If I am that pathetic at our daughter's birth, please shoot me."
Laughing, Hermione swatted at him playfully with her hand.
"What? What did I miss?" Ron asked, looking over at them.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Nothing. Now pay attention to your nephew."
He shrugged and turned back to Harry, slapping him gently on the back. "If Ginny had to have a kid with someone, I'm sure glad it's you, mate."
"Believe me, Ron, me too," Harry replied, grinning madly. "Me too."
A/N: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! I love reading all of your reviews- it is so much fun!
There's Harry and Ginny's son. Next is Severus and Hermione's daughter. Next chapter, probably.
Disclaimer- I don't own anything in this story. All of the characters and places and stuff are products of J.K. Rowling's incredible imagination.
Review Please! It is always greatly appreciated! Even if you don't like my story, please tell me what you dislike and I'll try to work on it in the future. Thanks!